Lord will provide.-Do you need his prefence? His name is JEHOVAH-SHAMMAM, the Lord is there; IMMANUEL, God with us look to him to be with you, for his name's fake.-Do you need audience of prayer! His name is the Hearer of prayer.-Do you need ftrength? His name is the Strength of Ifrael.-Do you need comfort? His name is the Confolation of Ifrael.-Do you need fhelter? His name is the city of refuge.-Have you nothing and need all? His name is All in all.

Sit down and devife names to your wants and needs, and you will find he hath a name fuitable thereunto : for your fupply, he hath wisdom to guide you; and power to keep you; mercy to pity you; truth to fhield you; holiness to fanctify you: righteousness to justify you; grace to adorn you; and glory to crown you. Truft in his name, who faves, for his name's fake.

SERMON

SERMON LXXX.

HEAVEN'S GRAND REPOSITORY; or, the FATHER'S Love to the Son, and depofiting all things into his Hand, a ftrong encouragement to Faith.*

JOHN iii. 35.

The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into bis band.

MY friends, the natural ftate we are all into, is a ftate of poverty and want. The firft Adam fpent our ftock, and left us nothing but fin, and misery, and death. If we have any right view and knowledge of ourfelves, we will know that we are now curfed in want of all things; that we are nothing but fin, and have nothing but fin, and can do nothing but fin, and deferve nothing but hell. As creatures, we are originally nothing; as worthlefs creatures, we are lefs than nothing; and as wicked creatures, we are worse than nothing. If any here are made truly fenfible of their total want of all that is good, and would know where they may be fup-. plied, my text makes a difcovery of a good hand, wherein there is a greater ftock of provifion and furniture than ever Adam had before his fall. Here is a fecond Adam, the eternal Son of God, fo well qualified for fupplying our wants, that there was never a hand heard

* This fubject was handled in two fermons. The firft was delivered at a facramental folemnity at Kinglaffy, June 13t5, 1731.... The fecond was an Action-fermon, preached at Dunfermline, June 27th, 1731.

04

tell

tell of in heaven or earth, that could have more than he hath; "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand."

It is no matter though you have nothing in your hand, if you come to him who hath all things in his. As the apoftle Paul gloried in his infirmities, that the power of Chrift might reft upon him: fo, it were good if we were glorying in our emptinefs, that the fulness of Chrift might be magnified in us. As he hath a full hand, fo it is an open hand; for, this immenfe fulness is made the ground of faith, as you fee in the context; because it is laid down as a foundation of what follows: "He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life." What this believing is, we may fee, ver. 33.: it is receiving his teftimony, and fetting to the feal that God is true. God is true, whether we fet to our feal or not; but, by faith, we fubfcribe to his truth; and hereby God reckons himfelf honoured and glorified: for, he that receiveth the teftimony of Chrift, fubfcribes to the truth of God; and, by believing in Chrift, we fet to our feal that God is true to all the promifes made concerning Chrift; and fo give credit to all that he hath faid by the prophets; and that he is true to all the promises made in Chrift, venturing our fouls upon the veracity of God: and the more credit we give him, the more honour we put upon him.

QUEST. But how does it appear, that when we receive the tellimony of Chrift, we receive the teftimony of God, and fet to our feal that God is true?

ANSW. Why, becaufe as Chrift is the Word of God, fo he is the Sent of God, to deliver the word of God; He whom God baib fent, Speaketh the words of Cod: and he was fent of God for this very end; "A prophet fhall the Lord your God raife up unto you, from amongst your brethren, like unto me; him fhall you hear in all things, whatsoever he fhall fay unto you." But for clearing this further, we shall propose, and answer another question.

QUEST. How does it appear, that Chrift, as the Sent of God, fpeaketh the words of God? and confequently, how may we be fure of this, that when we believe the truth of Chrift, we believe the truth of God.

ANSW.

ANSW. It appears that he speaks nothing but the words of God, because he hath the Spirit of God, and the Spirit above meafure; for," God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." The prophets of old had the Spirit in a limited manner, only with refpect to fome particular revelations, and fometimes fpoke of them felves; but Chrift had the Spirit always refiding in him, without ftated measure or limitation; and therefore spoke always the words of God. The more of the Spirit of God that any perfon hath, the more will he fpeak the words of God: now, the Spirit was never in any mere creature, but as in a veffel; but the Spirit was, and is in Chrift, as a fountain, and as in a bottomlefs ocean: therefore his words may well be depended upon, and refted in, as the words of God. Here is a foundation. for faith, in refpect of his veracity. But, is there as much foundation for faith, in refpect of his ability and furniture every way? Yea, there is; for, " He loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand."

In which words we may notice these two things following:

1. An Affertion; "The Father loveth the Son: He was always his delight," Prov. viii. 30. And he is his delight ftill.

2. A Proof and Evidence of this affertion; "He hath given all things into his hand." He gives him fo much truft, that he could not entruft him with more; for, what more can be conceived than all things? Love is best known and evidenced by the greatnefs of the lover, and the loving gifts he beftows upon the object beloved. Here is the greatest gift, evidencing the greatest love; The Father bath loved the Son, and bath given all things into bis band. This is the honour of Chrift, and the happiness of his people, that the Father hath given alt things into the hands of Chrift the Mediator. If you would have a fum of these all things, it may be gathered from what follows, viz. that it is everlafting life, and all that attends it, and all the means that lead to it; all the parts of it, and all things that belong to it; for it follows, "He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life." The text then lays down a ftrong ground of encou

ragement

ragement to believe on the Son of God unto eternal life therefore we may lay down the following doctrinal propofition as the fum of it, namely,

OBSERV. "That the Father's love to the Son, evi"denced by his giving all things into his hand, "is a strong argument and encouragement for faith "to believe in him."

You will fee this fame argument adduced and made ufe of by the Lord Jefus Chrift himself, Mat. xi. 27,28. "All things are delivered to me of my Father." And amongst other things, all the Father's counfels and fecrets, he being the great Secretary of heaven: and, what follows? Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft." Come to me, as the Father's trustee, who hath intrufted me with all things.

We shall endeavour, through divine affiftance, to profecute this fubject in the following method.

I. I would speak a little of the Father's love to the

Son.

II. Speak of this evidence of the Father's love: and that, 1. Shew fome of these things the Father gives to the Son. 2. Notice the import of the expreffion, He gave all things into his band. 3. How this evidences the Father's love to him. 4. Why he hath thus manifefted his love to him.

III. How this love of the Fether, thus evidenced, in giving all things into his hand, is a ground of faith. IV. Make fome Application of the whole.

I. I am to speak a little of the Father's love to the Son. For clearing of this, there are these following Pofitions I would offer.

First Pofition is, "That there are many fcriptural "expreffions of the Father's love to the Son." He is called the Beloved, emphatically, Eph. i. 6. He is called his dear Son, or the Son of bis love, Col. i. 13. He folemnly declares his love to him from heaven three several times; once, at his baptifm; again, at his transfiguration; and afterwards in his agony, by that